French · Travel & Getting Around

"North" in French: nord

le nord

Say it: normasculine · le nordnoun/nɔʁ/

North in French is le nord, masculine. Au nord means to the north. Le nord de la France is the north of France.

Giving directions

Continue tout droit vers le nord.
Keep going straight north.
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How to pronounce nord

Say it

nor

/nɔʁ/

NOR. Soft French r. Final d is usually silent.

"North" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
le nordthe north

Direction and region.

au nordto the north / in the north

Movement or location.

nord denorth of

Before a place name.

vers le nordtoward the north

Travel.

How to use nord in real life

  1. 1Giving directions

    Continue tout droit vers le nord.

    Keep going straight north.

    Vers le nord.

  2. 2Weather

    Le vent vient du nord aujourd'hui.

    The wind is from the north today.

    Du nord.

  3. 3Travel plans

    On part dans le nord demain matin.

    We're heading north tomorrow morning.

    Dans le nord for the region.

Mistakes English speakers make with nord

Incorrect: La nord est froid.

Correct: Le nord est froid.

Nord is masculine.

Incorrect: Au north de Paris.

Correct: Au nord de Paris.

Use nord, not north.

Good to know

Le Nord also names the northern département around Lille, so dans le Nord can mean that region specifically. On maps, N stands for nord.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Reading a road map

  1. ChatPal

    La plage est au nord, non ?

    The beach is to the north, right?

  2. You

    Oui, tout au nord de la ville.

    Yes, all the way north of town.

  3. ChatPal

    Alors on prend la route vers le nord.

    Then we take the road north.

  4. You

    OK, je suis le GPS.

    OK, I'll follow the GPS.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"North" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "North" in French

How do I say north?

Le nord.

How do I say to the north?

Au nord.

How do I say north of Paris?

Au nord de Paris.

Is nord masculine?

Yes: le nord.

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